Retreat
by LobsterLobster
Summary: During a lull in the Clone Wars, Anakin and Ahsoka are sent back to the Jedi Temple for a meditation retreat, but Master and Apprentice have conflicting ideas about how they want to spend their vacation time. Fluff!
1. Chapter 1

Retreat

A/N: This is set around the middle of The Clone Wars series. Please enjoy!

….

During a lull in the hostilities in the Outer Rim, General Skywalker and Commander Tano were rotated back to Coruscant for a two week meditation retreat.

The past few months of fighting had been rough, to say the least, so they both were grateful for the break. The two Jedi took a shuttle to the Temple from the station where their Republic Cruiser was undergoing much-needed repairs.

Anakin reclined his seat and closed his eyes, attempting to sleep, but his mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of a certain Senator. He imagined the way her face would light up when she saw him. The way it would feel when she threw her arms around his neck and…he drifted off to sleep.

Ahsoka was determined not to let this retreat be a repeat of last time. She bent over her datapad as her master slept, the first stage of her plan coming along nicely.

The shuttle landed at the Jedi Temple sometime after the middle of Coruscant's night cycle. Leaving immediately after arriving and at such a late hour would inevitably raise questions that Anakin preferred not to face, so he begrudgingly decided to spend the night in his own quarters. He would sneak away to see Padme first thing in the morning.

His Padawan trailed behind him through the quiet halls, stifling a large yawn or two. She nearly walked right into him when he stopped at his quarters.

"Your room is that way, Snips," he said, reminding her gently, pointing her shoulders in the right direction.

"Oh yeah. Good night, Master," she said, walking slowly down the hall to her own small quarters.

Anakin shook his head in amusement. It was so like Ahsoka to insist that she wasn't tired at all, right up until she was practically sleepwalking. She really should have slept on the shuttle instead of always chatting with the clones.

The next morning, bright Coruscant sunshine filled Anakin's room. He rubbed his eyes and checked his chrono. It was later then he'd wanted. He stripped out of his dusty robes and after carefully checking his mechanical arm for any signs of damage, hopped in the refresher.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka navigated through the busy halls of the Jedi Temple, forcing herself to walk calmly so that it didn't look like she was rushing somewhere, but at the same time quietly so that nobody noticed her and diverted her from her mission.

She breathed a small sigh of relief when she arrived at Anakin's door without being intercepted. She rung the chime and the door slid open to reveal Anakin in a fresh set of robes, using a towel to dry his damp hair.

"Good morning, Master!" she said brightly.

"Morning, 'soka," Anakin said, somewhat distracted, "What's going on?"

"I brought you some caf," Ahsoka said, holding out the steaming cup.

Anakin blinked in surprise at the thoughtful gesture, "Uh, thank you."

The caf was too hot to drink right away so he set it on his cluttered desk. Ahsoka sat down on the edge of his bed while Anakin quickly combed his hair with his fingers and pulled his leather glove over his mechanical arm, wondering when Ahsoka would get to the point.

The only times she brought him things was when he was in the med bay, so she was definitely up to something. He didn't have to wait long.

"So, Master, what are we doing today?" Ahsoka asked, just a fraction too casually.

" _I_ have to go to a meeting," Anakin said carefully.

The problem with Jedi is that they can almost always detect an outright lie. Anakin had found that it was best to simply tell some version of the truth, however vague, and add in a little evasion and misdirection for good measure.

Before she could ask who with, he spoke again with as much authority as he could muster, "And you, my Padawan, have some mission reports to write."

"Already finished and submitted!"

"What? All of them?" Anakin had not counted on this development.

"Yep," Ahsoka said cheerfully, "I wrote them all on the shuttle last night."

"Wow. Who taught you to be so responsible?" Anakin asked, genuinely impressed at her initiative. Maybe he was doing a better job of this teaching thing that he thought.

"That would be Rex," Ahsoka answered without hesitation.

"Of course it was," Anakin muttered. He should have seen that one coming.

He knocked as much dust off his boots as he could and pulled them on.

"So, where are we going?" Ahsoka asked again.

"This is a mediation retreat, not another mission. _You_ are going to meditate," Anakin said in what he thought was a decisive tone.

Ahsoka looked momentarily discouraged but then she narrowed her eyes at him. She leaned closer to her Master and sniffed the air suspiciously.

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then she declared, "You're going to see Senator Amidala!"

Anakin's jaw dropped in surprise. He attempted to recover, demanding, "What!? How could you possibly-"

"The only time you use hair soap is when we're going to see Padme. My sense of smell is stronger than humans, remember? I'm never wrong," Ahsoka said.

Anakin crossed his arms and glowered at his presumptuous apprentice.

"For your information, it is called shampoo and I use it on a regular basis," he stated.

Ahsoka's expression was dubious but she seemed to realize it would be a bad idea to press the issue.

Anakin took advantage of the pause to open the door, indicating it was time to leave. He grabbed his cup of caf on the way out. Ahsoka was only a step behind him.

He didn't say that he _wasn't_ going to see Padme. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, sensing that she would have to tread carefully or her whole mission would go down in flames before it even took off.

"But Master, wherever you're going, why can't I come? I thought I was supposed to follow you everywhere and learn from you…" she tried, not liking how whiny it came out.

Anakin sighed. He stopped walking and turned to face her. She could tell that he was exasperated and that she was about to lose.

"Master, please! Last time we had a mediation retreat I got stuck mediating with the younglings all day, every day, and you were nowhere to be found. You left me behind and now you're doing it again and it's not fair," Ahsoka finally broke down and said what was really on her mind.

Anakin's expression softened a little bit. He felt for her, he really did, but that didn't change the fact that he hadn't seen his wife in over six months.

Occasionally, when Anakin was at a loss as to how to handle his Padawan, he would ask himself what Obi-wan would do, not that he would admit as much to the older Jedi in a million years. In this case, that line of thought was an immediate dead end. Obi-wan would be happily meditating with the younglings in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

Anakin Skywalker was a cunning warrior who rarely backed down from a fight, but today it was looking more and more like there was simply no way to ditch his Padawan without simultaneously crushing her feelings and giving her reason to ask why, exactly, he didn't want her along in the first place.

In a last ditch effort to stall the inevitable, Anakin took a sip of his caf. And nearly choked.

"Agh, what is this?!" he coughed, thoroughly disgusted by the taste in his mouth.

"It's caf," Ahsoka said, unimpressed by his theatrics.

"Ahsoka, who taught you to make caf anyway? I know it wasn't Rex because he can make a decent cup of caf just about anywhere," Anakin said, looking around for a trash can.

"Nobody taught me. I found the machine and pushed the buttons until caf came out. It's not that hard," she said.

"Well, do me a favor and never make it again. Because this is terrible," Anakin retorted.

"Okay," Ahsoka shrugged, "I won't."

She thought the stuff was gross anyway, so she didn't understand what the big deal was.

Anakin pushed the offending cup into her hands and continued walking down the hall. He was several yards away when he realized there were no footsteps beside him. He stopped and looked back to see Ahsoka hanging her head dejectedly.

Anakin sighed in defeat.

"Hurry up!" he called loudly, "You're going to make me late!"

Ahsoka immediately brightened up. She bound down the hall to catch up to him and they continued on towards the hangar bay.

"So, Master, where are we going today?" she asked for the second time that morning.

"Senator Amidala asked me to stop by her office the next time I was on Coruscant," Anakin explained.

Ahsoka ducked her head to conceal her smirk. She was never wrong!

…..

TBC!

Preview: What happens when Ahsoka inadvertently discovers one of Anakin's most closely held secrets?


	2. Chapter 2

Retreat

Summary: Ahsoka inadvertently learns one of Anakin's most closely guarded secrets. Will their relationship, and the balance of the Force, survive?!

A/N: Please enjoy some Clone Wars fluff! Reviews are much appreciated!

…..

Chapter 2

Anakin Skywalker was arguably one of the best fighters in the Jedi Order, due in no small part to his ability to think on his feet, to change tactics seamlessly and outmaneuver his opponent.

Today, however, he couldn't summon that same decisiveness he felt on the battlefield. He spent the entire speeder ride debating whether he should try to alert Padme. Using her personal comm line was out of the question with Ahsoka sitting beside him. Calling her office would take too long and quite possibly end with him being told that she was busy.

Ultimately, Anakin decided that it was too late to call and he would take his chances showing up at Padme's office unannounced.

"It's so nice to be home," Ahsoka said, somewhat to herself, as she gazed out at the busy Coruscant horizon.

 _Just like Obi-wan_ , Anakin thought. Both his former master and his Padawan grew up in the Jedi Temple. Anakin had never formed quite the attachment to the place that they had.

Anakin used his Jedi clearance codes to set the speeder down on one of the landing pads reserved for Senatorial staff. He and Ahsoka walked through the halls of the great domed building until they found the office belonging to the Senator from Naboo.

"Does she know we're coming?" Ahsoka asked, unknowingly echoing Anakin's internal dilemma.

"No," Anakin said, seemingly unconcerned, "But I don't think she'll mind a surprise if it's from us."

The two Jedi stepped into the reception area and were immediately greeted by a flustered protocol droid.

"Hello, Threepio," Anakin greeted him.

"Oh my! Master Skywalker! What a surprise!" the gold droid prattled on but Anakin paid him no mind.

He could sense Padme's presence in the Force. Anakin felt a rush of longing for her as he stepped around Threepio and activated the door to Padme's inner office.

Padme was bent over her datapad, concentrating intently. She didn't bother to look up at the sound of the door.

She sighed, "Threepio, I told you…"

Anakin smirked and stood still for a second before saying only, "Senator."

Padme's eyes opened wide at the familiar voice. She dropped her datapad and stylus on the desk and rushed to the doorway.

"Ani!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Anakin grinned. She was as beautiful as ever and her surprised expression was even better than he'd imagined. It took all of his Jedi discipline to refrain from sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her right then.

The sound of sudden laughter caused Anakin to freeze in a grimace.

Padme was shocked again, this time at the sight of her husband's Padawan standing a half-step behind him. She'd been a second away from throwing her arms around Anakin's neck and kissing him. It was only due to her years of experience in politics that she was able to school her features into a serene smile that gave, she hoped, nothing away.

Ahsoka couldn't believe her luck, "Ani? I didn't know that was your –"

"Ahsoka!" Anakin glared at her darkly.

The young Jedi gulped down the rest of her words. Then, feeling that the reprimand was too harsh for the situation, she blinked back up at him innocently, "But I –"

Before Anakin could cut her off again, Padme attempted to diffuse the situation. "Ahsoka, it's so good to see you!" she said, giving the younger woman a warm hug.

Ahsoka smiled, "It's good to see you too, Senator."

Ahsoka looked between her Master and her friend. She could feel Anakin using their Force bond to urge her to keep her mouth shut, but this was simply too good to pass up.

"Why is this the first time I've heard your nickname, Master?" Ahsoka asked, a mischievous smirk tugging at her features.

Anakin Skywalker let out a long-suffering sigh. The Force must hate him. That was the only possible justification for this situation. First his overly eager Padawan had to tag along on what was supposed to be a romantic reunion. Then Padme had to go and blurt out his childhood nickname in front of Ahsoka!

Even Obi-Wan knew better than to call him Ani. He'd grown out of that name a long time ago. Not that he'd ever told Padme as much. It was different when she said it. She always said 'Ani' with such affection in her voice that he didn't mind at all.

"I've known Anakin for a long time, remember. Since he was younger than you are now, Ahsoka," once again Padme smoothly diverted the conversation.

Ahsoka considered this information then decided, "I still like my nickname for him better."

"Oh? What's that?" Padme asked, now very curious.

"Skyguy!" Ahsoka declared with a proud smirk that was decidedly un-Jedi like, but somehow very much like Anakin.

Padme grinned, "That _is_ clever! I like it."

Anakin decided that he'd had quite enough of this particular conversation. He ungracefully changed the topic, "So, uh, Senator, what was it that you wanted to discuss?"

Padme blinked, "What?"

"You left me a message to contact you as soon as I was back on Coruscant, remember?" Anakin prodded, attempting to establish a cover story.

"Ohh," Padme responded as gracefully as she could, "I'm afraid I don't recall what it was exactly. Probably I was only looking for news of the war."

The young senator was certain that, if it weren't for her quick thinking, her impulsive husband would have blown their cover long ago.

She continued, "But no matter. It's perfect that you're here now. You two can accompany me to the first day of All-Species Week. I'm on a committee that is hosting a street festival and I need to make an appearance."

Ahsoka's eyes lit up at the mention of Coruscant's most popular holiday, "I didn't realize that was today! Master, can we go?"

Anakin told himself to play it cool. He pretended to think about it while Ahsoka looked up at him with hope shining in her eyes, then finally agreed, "Yeah, we might as well."

Ahsoka grinned. Padme gave him a secret smile that was her way of saying 'I love you' without speaking. Maybe today wouldn't be half bad after all.


End file.
